Colin Dodgson photographs Tilda Swinton for Document Journal

It’s well known that Tilda Swinton is much more than an actor. Tilda’s creativity has been noticed by directors, photographers and artists alike, making her an inventive muse across visual platforms. For the upcoming issue of Document Journal, the publication celebrates Tilda’s progressive artistic outlook in a conversation with Paris’ Palais Galliera curator Olivier Saillard. The dialogue is realised visually in a mesmerising editorial shoot by Colin Dodgson.

Since 2012 Tilda and Olivier have collaborated in a series of dynamic performance art pieces deconstructing how an audience perceives the fashion industry. This began with Impossible Wardrobe a one-woman fashion show featuring Tilda over three consecutive evenings, with the real star of the show being designer garments from the late 19th to 20th Century. This was followed by Eternity Dress where the pair designed a dress in front of an audience, and Cloakroom Vestiaire a piece that cast Tilda as an improvisational cloakroom attendant for the evening. The conversation between Tilda and Olivier in Document Journal describes their next performance, Sur-exposition accompanied by Charlotte Rampling, in which the actors will personify images from historic photographers. Each of these performances display Tilda’s understanding and admiration of the artistic process. She explains that the pair “are both somewhat uninvested in fashion as a currency, heading, via style, towards an understanding of the anthropological – and, really, sociological life of our culture.”

Despite being one of the most recognisable actors, Tilda’s outlook is intrepid towards interacting with the public. This character trait is captured stylistically by photographer Colin Dodgson, who’s detailed focus and eye for unfamiliar details creates an organic editorial feature. The result is a series of photographs that exaggerate Tilda’s other-worldliness but still allow her to appear approachable, in a way that only Colin can.